Stop Believing This Toilet Myth.Do You Really Need to Cover the Toilet Seat With Paper?Creating this barrier exposes you to more germs!
Either at rest stops, airports, or train stations, public restrooms aren’t exactly appealing. Many people particularly find toilet seats a great source of disgust. They fear that if they sit on it, they’ll immediately catch a disease because of all the germs and bacteria. But this concern is unfounded. We explain why it’s safe to sit down on public toilets – and where the real hygiene dangers lurk.
Creating this barrier between your skin and the seat isn’t actually helpful, in fact, it could be exposing you to more germs!
Public toilets aren’t anyone’s favorite place to go. Your imagination can conjure up some disturbing thoughts when you consider the germs that could be floating about. Consequently, many people lay down toilet paper on a public toilet seat in an attempt to distance themselves from the germs.
But, creating this barrier between your skin and the seat isn’t actually helpful, in fact, it could be exposing you to more germs!
Why Not To Put Toilet Paper On The Seat
Germs cling to the light, thin paper in public restrooms, so each time the toilet is flushed, germs from the toilet disperse and float over to the exposed roll of toilet paper. Meanwhile, the toilet seat is much harder for germs to cling to, making less germy than the toilet paper.
“In most public restroom surfaces, human-associated bacteria dominate,” says Dr. Nilka Figueroa, an Infectious Diseases Chief Fellow at Harlem Hospital Center. “This bacteria are skin microbes that most people already have, so they pose almost no risk of infection.”
So What Should You Really Be Doing To Protect Yourself?
You could bring your own toilet paper. You could squat over the toilet. Or you could just sit your bare skin on the toilet seat and use the toilet paper. According to a 2011 PLOS (Public Library of Science) study, most of the bacteria found in bathrooms are skin-associated and pose little threat.
Disinfection Instead Of Toilet Paper
If you want to feel completely safe, you can disinfect the toilet seat before using it.
However, if you are still disgusted by sitting on the toilet seat, you can easily disinfect it beforehand. Practical surface disinfectant wipes, Care surface disinfectant wipes*, are ideal for this purpose. They are a great alternative to lining the toilet seat with several layers of paper as it saves resources and thus protects the environment.
Using toilet paper to prevent contact with the toilet seat also has another downside. Germs that swirl around in the toilet cubicle air, for example during the flushing process, can collect in the toilet paper.
Thus, if you generously line the toilet seat with toilet paper and then touch this contaminated material with your hands, this increases the risk of infection if you subsequently touch your face
For a norovirus infection, for example, which is particularly rampant in winter, as few as 100 virus particles are sufficient to trigger an infection.
Up to ten million noroviruses can be found in every gram of stool from infected patients [9]. Therefore, only use toilet paper when you really need it.
Additional studies have backed up the reality that surfaces in public restrooms aren’t harming your health, like this 2016 Filtrated study that found gym equipment has more bacteria than toilet surfaces.
Pathogens Are Not Transmitted Via Skin Contact
Admittedly, sanitary conditions are not inviting in many public restrooms. From paper towels on the floor to unpleasant odours to “leftovers” from the previous user, the hygienic conditions can vary greatly. Of course, if there is a lot of contamination, it is better to go somewhere else if possible. However, if everything appears visually clean, there is actually no danger from pathogens when sitting down on the toilet seat.
